Turkey confirms first case of swine flu

Turkish health officials identified the country's first case of the new H1N1 flu in an American man travelling to Iraq, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, and local media said his wife may also be infected.

The U.S. citizen, travelling from the United States via Amsterdam, was found to be suffering from the H1N1 virus after arriving at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport en route to Iraq on Friday, Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag said at a news conference that was broadcast live.

Authorities later determined the man's wife was also infected with the H1N1 virus, NTV and CNN Turk television channels said, without saying how it obtained the information.

"He was admitted to hospital in Istanbul and placed in quarantine with the six members of his family. His condition is satisfactory,"Akdag said.

The Iraqi-American family was travelling on a KLM aircraft to Istanbul that was carrying 163 passengers, most of whom are now being monitored for signs of the flu, Akdag said.

Thermal cameras set up at the Istanbul airport detected the man had a high fever, and tests at the national laboratory revealed he was carrying the H1N1 virus, Akdag said.

He was admitted to hospital in Istanbul and placed in quarantine with the six members of his family. His condition is satisfactory

Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag

India confirms first case

India on Saturday also reported its first victim of the H1N1 virus, a 23-year-old man who had flown to Hyderabad from New York and tested positive for the virus.

The Indian health ministry said the patient changed planes in Dubai and that all passengers who flew on the same plane to India were being contacted.

The man was being treated at an isolation unit and his current condition was described as "afebrile," meaning he was already free from symptoms of the virus that has caused concern around the world.

Pandemic imminent

The spread of the disease has led the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic is imminent.

India and Turkey, a major tourist destination, are the 37th and 38th countries to confirm cases of swine flu. The WHO said on Saturday 72 people had died from the disease or its complications compared with 65 on Friday, with six more in Mexico and one in the United States.

Over the past week the number of people infected by the virus has risen sharply, going up by around 1,000 a day since Monday to reach 8,451 on Saturday.

The WHO has said there were 8,451 confirmed cases of infections with the influenza strain that is a mixture of swine, bird and human viruses.

The United States, followed by Mexico, where the epidemic began some three weeks ago, have recorded the highest number of cases. Two new countries, Ecuador and Peru, have been added to the WHO’s official list.